Pandora's Legend
by writingdetective
Summary: They say the real treasure is the friends you made along the way. It would seem this is the case in Kaito's search for Pandora, and quite literally at that. Eventual Kaishin/Shinkai.
1. Legend has it

The legend of the so-called ' _Jewel of Immortality_ ' had spread across the land, and within the first two decades there was not a single soul who did not know about the gem and its powers. Many men were enthralled by the possibility of eternal life, and would do anything in order to get their hands on the jewel. Many years went into looking for it, many lives were lost, and said jewel remained as nothing but a mere myth.

Then one day a mysterious man appeared in a small village just on the land's borders, claiming to have seen the ' _Jewel of Immortality_ '. He had told every man willing to listen that it was in a cave hidden up in the high mountains. And thus begun a new exploration, this time in the unknown, cold mountains. And what a dangerous journey it was. Not many made it there alive, with the exception of one: A young man from the main village of the land. His mother had been sick for a long time now, and he had went on searching for the jewel in the hopes of getting a cure for her. His search had been successful, and thus he had returned home with the huge gem in hand.

Much to the young man's dismay, he could not figure out how to transfer the immortal powers of the gem to his mother. To ask someone for help was unheard of, as he intended to keep the jewel a secret from the others. Who knew what would happen if the rest of the village found out.

One night he was sitting outside, the moon huge and round on the sky above him. The jewel was in his hand and he kept on inspecting it, turning it this way and that in the hopes of getting some kind of answer. He held it up to the moon in order to get a better look, and was surprised as he saw a red glow emitting out of the otherwise blue gem. He jumped to his feet, happy to have finally found his next lead. However, that happiness was rather short-lived, as just at that moment a cloaked figure appeared behind him, slitting the man's throat open. Blood splashed against the walls as the body fell heavily on the ground, the light of the full moon reflecting in his huge, empty eyes. The cloaked figure picked up the jewel from where it had fallen on the ground, its beautiful, blue color tainted by blood. 

The next day a body was found in the middle of a street, a deep, bloody gash on his chest. A blue jewel was found next to it.

And thus begun the bloody history of the ' _Jewel of Immortality_ '. Whomever owned it suffered a horrible and gruesome death. Some people were even starting to name it _The Jewel of Death_. This did not stop people from trying to get their hands on it, however, resulting in the deaths of many more. No one knew _how_ exactly to get the gem's immortal powers, until one day when a huge star had seemed to fly over the sky. The current owner of the jewel had watched in bafflement as the gem had begun to glow red, before something moist had broken along its surface, almost looking like it was crying. Confident that this had been some kind of proof about the gem's immortal powers, the proof that everyone had been waiting for, the woman had rushed off in order to go and get her husband. The husband had agreed with her theory, and together they had gone in order to retrieve the gem, only to be murdered in cold blood by their most faithful servant.

Then one day the jewel had suddenly vanished, just simply disappeared without a trace. People kept looking for it, still wanting its unattainable power. When no process was made and the jewel still remained missing, people started to eventually give up. And thus the ' _Jewel of Immortality_ ' became once more nothing but a myth, a **legend**.

As to this day, no one can be absolutely sure about the gem's true powers. It is common belief that the Jewel of Immortality's - later renamed to _Pandora_ \- so-called tears are the key to eternal life. Whether this is true or not shall remain a mystery until the jewel's hopeful reappearance.

...

''What a pathetic story.''

A heavy, old-looking book was closed with force. Fingers came up to trace the book's front-cover.

''People killing others over a stone. **Ha**.''

The book was set down on a table, next to a framed picture of a family of five, all smiling towards the camera.

''And to think some people _still_ believe in this. Talk about being ridiculous. But...''

There was the sound of faint rustling before a gun was lifted in the air, its metallic surface reflected by the faint rays of the moonlight.

''A job is a job, no matter how stupid. And this is a job that _has_ to be done.''

The head of the gun was pressed against a picture on the wall. ''Don't you think so as well, Kaitou KID-san? I'll blow your brains out before you get the chance to find your precious little _gem_.''

The gun went off. A hole appeared right where the thief's face was. White teeth flashed in the semi-darkness.

''Don't think badly of me, okay?''


	2. Riddles and familiar strangers

''Ugh!''

Conan kept scratching idly at his head, a small note in his hand.

''What's the problem, oh greatest detective? Can't figure it out?'' Haibara asked, in that smug voice of hers that made Conan feel just a __bit__ more frustrated than what he already was. ''Did KID make it too difficult for you to solve this time?''

''Shut up,'' Conan retorted, loudly enough to get the attention of the rest of the Detective Boys, who were with them on the way to play football in the park.

''What is it, Conan-kun?'' In a matter of seconds, they had him surrounded.

''Ah, nothing. It's just-''

''Kaitou KID's newest notice, huh?'' The note was suddenly in Ayumi's hands, and she and the rest of the children were inspecting it rather intently. ''What does this say?''

Mitsuhiko and Genta exchanged looks before shrugging. ''It looks like a riddle of some kind, doesn't it?'' Mitsuhiko wondered aloud, about to take the paper from Ayumi in order to get a better look. Conan managed to take it before him, however, snatching the note with a roll of his eyes.

''I __was__ about to solve it, if you guys hadn't interrupted me.''

''Who gave it to you?''

Conan shrugged, his attention back to the notice. ''Sonoko-neechan. She was hoping that I would solve it.'' _ _It's as if I'm her personal servant or something when it comes to KID__ Conan thought to himself, only feeling __slightly__ bitter.

''Still, that looked a bit difficult. Will you be able to solve it?'' Genta asked. Haibara smirked.

''Of course I will. It's not __that__ hard, not really.''

...

The late afternoon sun flitted through the trees as the kids made their way home. Somewhere in the distance a clock chimed five times.

''That was by far one of the funniest football games I've ever played!'' Ayumi said enthusiastically, receiving encouraging nods from the two boys walking next to her.

''I agree! I especially thought Haibara-san played well. She should definitely play more,'' Mitsuhiko answered, glancing behind him at the two more serious children. There was a slight blush to his cheeks. ''Don't you think so as well, Ayumi-chan? Genta-kun?''

''She doesn't usually play that much, does she? I wonder what made her play this time?'' Genta wondered aloud, glancing back at Haibara as well.

''Who knows? But I agree with Mitsuhiko-kun that Ai-chan played very well today! She was almost as good as Conan-kun!''

''Almost? Ayumi-chan, I'm pretty sure she was even __better__.''

Ayumi simply smiled and turned around to fully face Haibara and Conan, the latter who was wearing a slightly exasperated expression. As their conversation on who was the best one continued Haibara turned her attention on Conan.

''Say, Edogawa-kun. How have you been feeling lately?''

Conan looked at her in slight surprise, her question coming out of nowhere. ''Uh, fine I guess?'' His surprise quickly turned into suspicion and he narrowed his eyes. ''How come? Why are you asking?''

'No reason. It's just that...'' She cut herself off, hesitating a bit. Conan's suspicion grew.

''What is it?''

Haibara looked straight at him, her gaze serious and mouth set in a thin line. ''Could you come to my place tomorrow? There's something I have to tell you.''

''Sure, but why not do so now-''

''Is that Shinichi-oniichan?'' Conan's sentence died on his lips as he turned his head around so fast he got dizzy.

''Ah, it is! Shinichi-oniisan!'' Ayumi waved, trying to get someone's attention.

Conan was next to them in a second, frantically looking this way and that. ''Where? Where is he?''

''Over there.'' Following the direction where Ayumi was pointing, Conan was shocked when he saw, well, __himself__ standing there, next to - was that _ _Ran__? Or maybe not, Conan realized upon a closer look. While she did __indeed__ look eerily similar to Ran, there were some differences. The girl's hair, for example, was a bit shorter as well as a whole lot messier than Ran's. The height difference - while not a huge one - was also notable. The same could be said for his own look-alike. His hair was messier than Conan's, and when the boy turned slightly around Conan could see he had a different eye color than him.

There was... __something__ familiar about the stranger. Besides the obvious, of course. But for the life of him Conan couldn't remember where he'd seen him before.

''Is he with Ran-san?'' Mitsuhiko asked. Good to see Conan wasn't the only one who had noticed the uncanny similarities.

''Let's go and say hello!''

''I really don't think we should-'' But before Conan could finish his sentence the three children had already gone. ''Jeez. Those kids never listen, do they?''

Haibara shrugged. ''They'll find out soon enough that those two aren't the ones they thought them to be. It's fine.''

''Yeah, I suppose so. But talk about being creepy. I mean, what were the odds of us seeing my and Ran's lookalikes? Not to mention together.'' Conan shook his head, still feeling slightly bemused. ''But was it just me, or was there something familiar about the guy?''

''You mean other than the fact he looked exactly like you? Don't tell me you've forgotten what you look like, Kudo-kun.''

Conan gave her a flat look. ''You know what I mean.''

She nodded, gaze fixed on the two strangers who had turned fully around in order to face the Detective Boys. Ayumi said something to them, which made the two teenagers to look at each other in confusion. The Ran look-alike then shook her head, a kind smile on her lips as she answered Ayumi, most likely telling her that she was, in fact, someone else.

Conan and Haibara got closer to them just in time to hear Mitsuhiko say, ''-that so? We're terribly sorry!''

This time it was Conan's look-alike who answered. ''Nah, it's fine. Although now I really want to meet this guy you thought was me!'' He then grinned, before apparently noticing Conan's and Haibara's approach. ''Ah, are these your friends-'' The sentence was cut short as his eyes met Conan's. Conan came to a stop in front of the two teens, head tilted in confusion. __Weird__...

''Is everything alright, oniisan?'' He asked in his most adorable-worried-child-voice. That seemed to get some kind of reaction out of the look-alike because the grin was back, replacing his shocked expression in a second.

''Of course! Why wouldn't I be? By the way, are these three your friends?''

''Yeah, he is!'' Genta answered for Conan, stepping up next to him. ''And so is Haibara!'' He made a wild gesture towards her, who in turn nodded and gave a small, polite smile. ''And together, we...''

''Are...'' Mitsuhiko joined in, equally enthusiastic. Both of them looked at Ayumi, who smiled brightly and put up her hands.

''The Detective Boys!'' She finished, looking proudly up at the two teens. A small sigh escaped Conan, a mixture of both exasperation and weary fondness. They really had to go around and flaunt it to everyone, didn't they?

''Is that so?'' The boy asked, and Conan could see how the smile he was wearing was forced. The girl on the other hand reacted with genuine interest.

''Ooh, really?'' She knelt down in front of them, face shining with excitement. ''That's so cute! Are you on some kind of a case?''

Conan was about to tell her no, he even had his mouth open, but was rudely interrupted by Haibara before he got the chance to do so.

''We do. Or more like __you__ do, Edogawa-kun. You haven't solved that riddle yet, have you?''

''That's right!'' Ayumi said before Conan could tell Haibara just __where__ she could go to. ''Wasn't that riddle you got super difficult?''

''What riddle?'' The girl asked. Next to her the boy tensed a bit. Conan gave him a quick, sharp look. What was up with those reactions?

''It was Kaitou KID's latest notice. For some reason he made it really difficult to solve this time...''

At the mention of KID the girl's expression fell, instantly going sour. ''That thief... Is he going around challenging kids this time? Honestly...''

The boy didn't seem to react at all this time.

''Ah, no,'' Conan said a bit sheepishly. ''I got the notice from someone else. KID had nothing to with it.'' __At least not this time__. From the corner of his eye he could see the boy send the girl a smug grin. Seriously, there was something wrong with the way his look-alike kept reacting. It was almost like he was - Nah, there was no way.

The girl looked relieved. ''That's good then. I think.'' She peered down at Conan. ''Does that mean you're going to capture him?''

''Sort of - ''

''Of course he's gonna capture him,'' Genta butted in, clapping Conan on the shoulder with a broad grin. ''He __is__ the KID-killer, after all!''

Now the interest and excitement from earlier was apparent on the girl's face once again. ''You are? I've heard so much about you! It's an honor to meet you!'' She gave him a big, warm smile. ''Be sure to capture him, okay?''

Conan found himself giving her a smile of his own. ''Sure!''

It wasn't before Conan got home that he noticed the crumpled up paper in his pocket.

' _ _To my dearest Tantei-kun__ '. It read. ' _ _I think I'll give you a hint about my next heist, since I've got this feeling you won't be able to solve it by yourself. It's tomorrow, and that's it.__ '

-Kaitou KID.

...

A phone lit up in the darkness, its cheerful tune echoing throughout the room. It rung once, twice before being picked up.

'' _ _Your job begins tomorrow__.'' A voice said on the other line. '' _ _You know what you're supposed to do__.''

''Yeah, yeah.'' The sound of footsteps, shortly followed by a drawer being opened. ''Kill Kaitou KID, right?''

'' _ _That's right. I'm staring to become very impatient with him. Mess this up, and__...'' The threat was left hanging.

'I'll make sure he gets killed, don't worry.''

'' _ _You better__.'' The line went dead.

The sound of someone sighing. ''Impatient as ever. And __why__ did I have to work for him again? Talk about having bad luck.''

A picture with a hole in the middle of it was held up to the moonlight. ''The poor thief's not going to be alive for long. I'm personally going to make sure of that.''


	3. The girl and the gunman

When Kaito woke up that morning he was still slightly shaken up after yesterday's events. Who would have thought that __Tantei-kun__ of all people would have been at the park at the exact time he himself had? Talk about bad timing.

The moment Kaito had seen the damn brat approaching him was one of the scariest things that had happened to him so far. All about being discreet, about being careful had been completely forgotten at that point. It had been stupid of him and Kaito __had__ berated himself for it later, for dropping his mask just like that. At least Tantei-kun hadn't taken much notice about his weird behavior.

Or at least Kaito hadn't ended up with a football kicked in his face. Because if the small detective had found out that Kaito was actually KID, his sworn enemy, it wouldn't have ended up with only that, oh no. The football would have shortly been accompanied by handcuffs around his wrists and police officers surrounding him in no time.

It wasn't as if Kaito __wouldn't__ have gotten himself out of that situation, but he still shuddered a bit at the thought of what might have happened. Because he had no doubt whatsoever that Tantei-kun could and would have done something exactly like that.

 _ _Talk about being pathetic__ , Kaito found himself thinking as he went on with his mourning routine. Who on earth was afraid of an __eight__ year old kid? Although said kid wasn't your old, every-day brat. He was too keen, too smart for Kaito to feel completely comfortable around him. It took one look from the kid, one look that screamed __I've figured it out__ to make Kaito's heart beat nervously in his chest.

Although __apparently__ there were some things even the smartest of children couldn't figure out. Namely a certain riddle made by the great phantom thief. Kaito grinned around the toothbrush in his mouth.

Oh the delight he had felt upon realizing Tantei-kun __hadn't__ managed to solve his riddle. He so wished he could have seen the detective's expression once he found the note Kaito had been thoughtful enough to give him.

But enough about that. After all, Kaito __did__ have a rather important evening in front of him and it would do no good to dwell on the __what if__ 's and _ _could have__ 's. Besides, it was highly possible that the small critic was going to be there as well and Kaito had to be on his very best. No place for mistakes, not this time.

…...

After KID's rather helpful input, Conan had eventually managed to solve the rest of the riddle. He had then told Ran about it, who then again told Sonoko. She had promised to take care of the rest.

'' _ _By the way, there's no need to call the police__ ,'' she had apparently told Ran. '' _ _I'll handle it, don't worry__.'' Which automatically meant Conan actually __had__ to worry about it, at least to some extent.

Conan had been on the verge of not going, because he'd had something __else__ to do today, namely meeting up with Haibara and have her explain whatever it was that had been unsettling her the other day. But she had called Conan this morning and told him she needed a ' _ _bit more time__ ', that it probably wasn't __'anything serious__ ', and how she needed to ' _ _do some more research__ '. Which was just great. Exactly what he needed right now.

Who knew, maybe he would die within the next hour.

And thus he and Ran were here now, at some hotel where a close relative of Sonoko had hosted a party of some kind. And because said relative was a member of the Suzuki-family, it also meant that said party was, well, __fancy__. Ridiculously so at that, Conan noticed as he discreetly side-eyed some of the guests.

There was an upside to this, however, and that had everything to do with Ran and the red dress she was wearing. It had been Sonoko's idea, and for once Conan had found himself agreeing wholeheartedly with her on something.

''What is is, Conan-kun? Did I spill something on my dress?''

Conan hurried to look away, trying his best to hide the blush threatening to bloom across his cheeks.

''Ah no, it's nothing! Don't worry Ran-neechan, your dress looks fine!''

Ran tilted her head. ''Really? Wait, are you red in the face?'' She crouched down in front of him – was that lipstick she was wearing since when did Ran use that probably Sonoko's idea but it fit her so well oh god she was so pretty – and put her hand on his forehead. ''Is it too warm in here? Are you okay?''

''N-No, I'm okay! Ah, look! There's Sonoko-neechan!'' Conan exclaimed with fake enthusiasm, pointing eagerly towards the approaching girl. Ran got up and turned around to look and he sighed in relief, glad for the distraction.

Sonoko came to a stop in front of them, a huge, radiant smile on her face. ''Ran! I was starting to think you weren't going to show up after all!''

''Sorry!'' Ran said. ''But I had some trouble with putting on the dress. In the end I managed to convince Conan-kun here to help me.'' She put her hands on his shoulders, smiling down at him. ''He was really helpful!''

''Oh, I'm sure he was.'' Sonoko's grin turned into a more mocking one as she looked down at Conan as well. Conan looked away, slightly red in the face and muttering something about minding your own business.

''At least it wasn't your dad that helped you put it on, so that's something I guess.'' Ran snorted disdainfully at that.

''Tell me about it. Dad's on some kind of case at the moment, so that opportunity __thankfully__ never presented itself for him.''

As their conversation continued, Conan took the opportunity to take in his surroundings. They were in the hotel's ballroom, with a door on one end leading out of the room and another on the other end leading out to the balcony. Guests milled about the huge ballroom, making it impossible to figure out which one of them was KID in disguise.

His gaze wandered back to the two girls, and for the first time since her arrival Conan noticed the necklace she was wearing. Which was weird, because the thing was __huge__.

''Sonoko-neechan! Sonoko-neechan!'' Conan tugged a bit at the hem of her dress, trying to get her attention. Once he managed to do so – and annoy Sonoko in the process – he pointed at the golden necklace. ''What's that?''

Sonoko's expression shifted from annoyed to dreamy as her hand came up to touch the jewel in the middle of it – a beautiful, purple Amethyst, surrounded by dozens of small diamonds.

''It's KID's target for tonight; The Purple Mirror! The owner of it allowed me to wear it. Now KID has to steal me too in order to get it!'' Sonoko sounded way too proud, making Conan want to roll his eyes. Was it okay to wear targeted jewels now?

Although... What if it __wasn't__ Sonoko after all, but KID in disguise? It would be the perfect way to get the jewel away from here. Conan looked suspiciously up at 'Sonoko', fingers already reaching for his watch.

Ran managed to react before him however, clearly having been on the same train of thought as he had.

''Is it really okay for you to wear that?'' She asked, her eyes glued to the jewel. ''Or could it be...'' Her gaze wandered up to meet Sonoko's own, her posture automatically going into a more defensive one. ''...That you're actually KID?

Sonoko blinked a couple of times before bursting out into a loud laugh, attracting the attention of some rather concerned guests. Conan and Ran exchanged looks.

''Me?'' She managed to ask after a small while, still sniggering a bit. ''KID in disguise? As much as I wish that, I'm going to have to disappoint you and say no.''

''Then you won't mind if we check it out, right?'' Conan asked, a big, innocent smile on his lips. ''If Sonoko-neechan's telling the truth, there's nothing to worry about!'' He looked up at Ran. ''Isn't that right, Ran-neechan?''

Ran nodded, giving Sonoko a sheepish grin. ''If that's alright with you?'' Her tone, however, suggested that she wouldn't really care whether Sonoko answered yes or no. Although Conan had the feeling she didn't really mean to sound like that.

Sonoko shrugged, looking slightly smug. ''Go ahead.''

As carefully (Because, well, while the possibility that KID was disguised as her existed, Ran really wasn't one to accidentally hurt her friend, no matter what.) as she could, Ran pinched Sonoko's cheek. Nothing happened.

''See? I told you so.''

Conan was about to come with some kind of retort when he was interrupted by a sudden squeal and a loud ''Sonoko-chan!''

He turned around just in time to see a girl running towards them.

''Ah, Asuka-chan!''

The girl came to a stop in front of them, slightly out of breath and smiling brightly. Conan took note of her long, white silky dress, black curly hair up in a neat bun and warm brown eyes shining with excitement.

''It's been __ages__ since I last saw you,'' Asuka said, giving Sonoko a quick hug. She then seemed to notice Conan and Ran standing there. Her smile brightened even more. ''Oh, and who might you two be?''

Ran gave her an equally friendly smile.''I'm Mouri Ran, and this here is -'' Her sentence was cut short as Asuka suddenly embraced her in a hug as well.

''So __you're__ Ran! I've heard so much about you!''

''You have?''

Asuka pulled back, smile never wavering. ''Yeah! It's an honor to finally be able to meet you! Oh, and you as well!'' She crouched down in front of Conan, stray strands of hair falling on her face. Now that she was this close to him, Conan noticed how she smelled faintly of roses.

''You must be Edogawa Conan-kun, right?''

Conan nodded, giving her one of his biggest, most childish grins. ''Yes, that's me! It's nice to meet you, Oneesan!''

''This here is Himura Asuka,'' Sonoko begun to explain. ''We met, what, six months ago or so and immediately became really good friends.''

''Although I'm pretty sure I'll never beat Mouri-chan.'' Asuka stood up, playfully elbowing Ran in the shoulder. ''But really, to think I was finally able to meet you both! I haven't been this excited in a long time!''

 _ _I can see that__ , Conan thought, although he found it a bit difficult to be annoyed towards Asuka. Something about her cheery attitude was starting to become rather contagious, and Conan couldn't help but be smitten by it. But only slightly.

He looked over to Ran to see how she was reacting to all of this, and wasn't surprised at all when he saw her regarding Asuka with friendly intent. Ran got along with just about everyone, no matter what. She was kind and trusting towards anyone, even if they had pretty much abandoned her for two years now and __wow__ where had that come from?

Conan mentally shook his head. Now was __not__ the time for those kind of thoughts. He tuned back into the conversation taking place above his head, trying to ignore the way his heart lurched uncomfortably in his chest.

''How about we hang out for a while?'' He heard Asuka suggest. ''KID isn't goint to appear in two hours anyways, so it would be nice to use that time to get to know each other better. Don't you think so as well?''

Both Ran and Sonoko agreed with her, and thus Conan found himself following the three girls out to the balcony. Here it was a bit quieter, at least compared to the chaos inside, with a few guests spread around here and there.

Conan's gaze wandered up to the night sky, to where the full moon shone dimly.

''It's beautiful, isn't it?'' Ran said, watching clouds glide in front of the moon. Conan found himself agreeing with her. _ _Although there is something far more prettier standing right next to me__.

''I bet you wish Shinichi-kun was here to see it as well, don't you?'' Sonoko gave her a teasing grin.

Before Ran could come up with some sort of hasty retort, Asuka cut in.

''You mean Kudo Shinichi? The famous detective?'' Her eyes shone with excitement. ''Do you know him?''

''That's right, I haven't told you about him yet, have I?'' Sonoko slung an arm around Ran's shoulders, pulling her close. ''Ran here is currently dating him. They make a really good couple!''

''Really?''

''Sonoko!'' Ran complained, pulling herself away from the girl, face slightly red. Not that Conan was much better, although he did everything in his power to try and conceal it.

''We're __not__ a couple,'' she hurriedly added to Asuka, who regarded her with poorly concealed interest. ''We're really good friends, that's all.

''But I guess you're right.'' There was now a sad smile on her lips as she leaned against the railing, gaze fixed upon the sky above her. ''There __are__ _some times that I wish he was here.''_

' _ _I am here__ ', Conan wanted to desperately tell her.

''You haven't seen him in a while, then?'' Sonoko was immediately at her side, her teasing from earlier completely forgotten upon seeing her friend's sadness.

Ran shook her head. ''No. I mean, he __has__ called me pretty often, but that's it.''

''Is that so?'' Asuka said from where she was standing next to Conan, making the two other girls look back at her. ''What kind of a friend does that?''

''The worst kind,'' Sonoko answered, her voice full of disdain as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Ran was quick to defend Shinichi. ''No, that's not it! It's just that he's busy. It's not his fault, not really.''

But Conan found himself agreeing with Sonoko. He really __was__ the worst, and thus undeserving of Ran's kindness.

''It's alright though.'' Ran looked down at Conan, her smile brightening ''At least I have Conan-kun.''

Conan gave her a childish grin in return, ignoring the hollow feeling in his chest.

''I've been meaning to ask,'' Asuka begun.''Is he your brother or something?''

''Ah, no. Conan-kun is the child of a family friend of ours. His parents are currently away, so we're looking after him.'' Ran came over and put her hand on Conan's shoulder. ''Although it sometimes feels like he really __is my brother.''__

They were interrupted by the sudden ring of a cellphone. Asuka sighed before starting to rummage through the small purse she was carrying, most likely trying to find the source of the noise. She took one look at the phone, eyes narrowing, before excusing herself off.

''She was nice,'' Ran said once she was gone. Her hold on Conan's shoulder disappeared as she turned her attention back to Sonoko. ''Where did you say you met her again?''

Sonoko grinned. ''At one of KID's heist. I guess you could say we bonded over our love and respect for him.''

 _ _Of course__. ''So she likes thieves just as much as you, Sonoko-neechan?'' Conan gave her a quick, sideways look, hands behind his head. ''That's a bit concerning, don't you think so as well?''

''Listen here brat -''

''Really? I don't think so.''

Asuka was back, cellphone gone and her smile back in place. ''There are worse things you can like than thieves. And Kaitou KID isn't even a bad person, at least not in my opinion.''

She came to a stop in front of Conan, hands on her knees as she bent down in order to be at eye-level with him. The smell of roses was rather overwhelming at this point. ''Don't you agree, Conan-kun?''

…...

When they got back inside ninety minutes had already passed, thus leaving thirty more before KID's appearance. At Sonoko's suggestion they went to the buffet table that was held in a corner of the ballroom.

Not really interested in food at the moment, Conan kept inspecting his surroundings, looking for any sign of KID. He looked up at Sonoko, at the jewel she was wearing. Tonight's target. What would be the best way to keep the thief away from it? How could Conan prevent it from being stolen?

''What are you thinking about?'' Conan was pulled away from his thoughts by the sudden voice right next to him. He turned his head around and was met with curious brown eyes.

''Is it KID's target?'' Asuka nodded towards Sonoko's direction.

Something about the way she said it bothered Conan but he decided to ignore it in favor of focusing on the task at hand.

''Yeah. I'm thinking about how to prevent KID from stealing it.''

''Really? Have you come up with anything yet?''

Conan never got the time to answer, because at that very moment the entire room went dark. There were a few shrieks from some of the guests, followed by Sonoko's and Asuka's excited squeals.

''It's him! Kaitou KID is here!'' He could hear Asuka shout.

''Protect that jewel at all cost!'' Somebody else yelled, a whole lot angrier. Conan recognized it as Inspector Nakamori. So he __was__ here after all.

And then the lights were on again. To his dismay, Conan noticed that the jewel had been stolen already. Nakamori was nowhere to be seen, and Sonoko didn't look like she cared too much, her hand resting on the place where the necklace had been.

''I could feel his fingers brush against my skin.''

Conan rolled his eyes, Ran looked at her friend with weary fondness and Asuka... Was gone.

''Hey, where is Asuka-neechan?'' Could it be that she really was -

Sonoko's phone beeped twice, pulling her out of her dreamy haze. Her eyes widened as she read the received message. ''Asuka-chan is trapped somewhere! She says she's scared and really needs our help. What should we do?''

''I'll go and find her!'' Conan said and was off before anyone got the time to protest, rushing out of the room.

He ran past the hotel's lobby and down a long corridor, coming to a stop once he saw what he was looking for. There, in front of an elevator he saw Asuka trapped in a net of some kind. She wasn't alone. There was a beautiful, young woman as well as an elderly man with her, all three of them looking shocked as well as slightly disgruntled at what had happened.

Maybe he had been wrong about Asuka after all.

''KID did this to us,'' Asuka said as Conan approached them. ''During that black-out I got knocked out, and when I woke up I was here, along with these two.''

Conan knelt down in front of the trap, lifting up the net. Or at least tried to. It didn't budge, not even a little.

''Is everything alright, Asuka-neechan? I'll get you out of here, don't worry - '' A sudden flash of white in the corner of his eye. Kaitou KID! He was getting away! But... Conan looked back at Asuka and the two other trapped guests. The right thing to do would be to free them first. But at the same time...

''It's fine,'' Asuka said, apparently having read his thoughts. ''Go and catch him. We won't disappear, but he will.''

Conan hesitated for another second before coming to a decision. He gave Asuka a grateful nod before running off. ''I'll be back soon!'' He yelled over his shoulder. ''Please hang on until then!''

The door leading to the rooftop was slung open with great force. Kaito looked behind him, his grin sharpening as he saw Tantei-kun standing in the doorway, red in the face and out of breath.

''So you __did__ know I was going to be here,'' Kaito said, turning around to fully face the detective. The jewel he had been holding went into his pocket.

''There weren't many other places you could have escaped to.'' Conan took one step closer. Kaito could see his fingers reaching for his belt. ''It wasn't that hard to figure out where you would be.''

Kaito could feel his own hand reaching for the card-gun. ''Sharp as ever, Tantei-kun.''

''How about we end this quickly?'' Conan said, taking another step. He bent down slightly, a slow smirk spreading across his lips. ''I kinda have something else that needs to be done as well.''

''To save those poor people I trapped, I presume? They're fine, don't worry.'' The gun was now in his hand and he aimed it at the small detective. His grin was all teeth by this point.

Conan opened his mouth, about to say something when his eyes suddenly widened, gaze fixed upon a point behind Kaito's back.

''Duck!'' He yelled and Kaito was on his hands and knees in less than a second, just in time to avoid the bullet flying above his head. Conan stepped quickly aside, barely missing the bullet himself.

Kaito whipped his head around and saw a figure clad in all black standing a couple of meters behind him, face obscured by a scarf. He got quickly onto his feet again and turned around to face the mysterious intruder.

''That's dangerous you know,'' he said as nonchalantly as he could, shifting a bit in order to shield Conan from their sight.

The figure didn't say anything, just started to walk towards them. Kaito's grip on his card-gun tightened. ''I would back off if I were you.''

They stopped at that. And then they begun to laugh, the sound echoing throughout the rooftop. Then they spoke.

Due to the scarf in front of their mouth it was discreet, but Kaito could recognize the voice belonging to a female.

''You? Hurting me?'' She asked mockingly, taking aim with her gun. It was pointed directly at Kaito's head. ''I don't think so.'' A finger squeezed around the trigger.

''Wait!'' Tantei-kun was suddenly in front of him, his arms out as if protecting Kaito.

''Stay out of this!'' Kaito hissed, gaze fixed upon the shooter again. Rival or not, there was no way he was letting Tantei-kun get hurt. He had to figure out a way to get him safely away from here.

The mysterious woman laughed again. ''Aw, who's this? Your protector?'' Her aim landed now on Conan. Kaito's heart skipped a beat. __No__!

Quickly rummaging through his pocket, he pulled out the necklace.

''It's this that you're after, right?'' Kaito asked, letting the chain dangle from his fingers. Brown eyes landed on him again. ''Do you work for Snake? Because if so there's no need for you to be here anymore. I already checked. It's not the jewel you guys are looking for.'

The shooter didn't say anything for a while, just continued to look at Kaito, her eyes narrowed. Tantei-kun didn't react in any way either.

' _ _Just fuck off already__!' Kaito wanted to yell at him, but knew he shouldn't. There was no telling how the woman would react if one of them tried to escape.

''Well?'' Kaito asked coldly, after a moment had passed without an answer.

''It's true that I work for Snake,'' she said slowly, taking another step. Kaito took aim with his card-gun, a finger already on the trigger. ''And it's true that I'm here to get the gem. But there's something else I have to do as well, and that's to kill you.''

The sound of a gun going off echoed loudly in the quiet night. Kaito fell hard onto the ground. Unbearable pain blossomed on his shoulder, right next to where his collarbone was.

Conan was lying on the ground next to him, panting loudly. His arm was slung around his stomach. Kaito's eyes widened as realization hit him. _ _Tantei-kun had saved him__.

''Damn brat.'' Kaito could hear the woman mutter from somewhere above him. ''I think I'll kill him first.''

But Kaito was quicker this time. Once again taking aim with his card-gun, he shot off a card. There was the sound of something clattering to the ground, quickly followed by a loud curse and retreating footsteps.

''You okay, Tantei-kun?'' Kaito asked, gently poking him in the side.

KID had quickly left after that, disappearing in a cloud of smoke like he usually did.

Still slightly shaken up by what had happened, Conan eventually managed to get away from the dark rooftop and back to where Asuka and the others were waiting.

Asuka had taken one look at him and immediately demanded him to tell her what had happened, but Conan found himself unable to do so.

Instead he just freed them from the trap (something which was surprisingly easy to do, considering how hard it had been earlier.) before going to look for Ran.

The entire way home he kept thinking about the mysterious shooter, and the way KID had reacted. It was as if he'd expected something like that to happen, like it was some kind of normal occurrence to him.

For some reason it kept bothering Conan. He'd have to ask KID about it the next time they met.

…...

'' _ _You failed to kill him__.''

No answer.

'' _ _You know what this means, don't you__ , Dolcetto?''

''I... Yes...''

'' _ _If you want to keep the rest of your family alive, I suggest you try to succeed the next time__.''


End file.
